Fabric Care Labels Decoded Guide
Marcus Aldridge·Published
Your Clothes Are Talking to You
Every garment has a care label with standardized symbols that tell you exactly how to wash, dry, iron, bleach, and dry clean it. Understanding these symbols can extend the life of your clothes, prevent costly mistakes, and save you from shrinking a favorite sweater.
Washing Symbols
The wash symbol is a tub of water. Numbers inside indicate maximum water temperature:
- 30°C — cool wash (delicates, dark colors)
- 40°C — warm wash (most everyday clothes)
- 60°C — hot wash (towels, bedding, heavily soiled items)
- Hand in tub — hand wash only
- Crossed-out tub — do not wash (dry clean only)
Lines under the tub indicate cycle type: no line = normal, one line = permanent press, two lines = delicate.
Drying Symbols
- Circle in square — tumble dry OK
- One dot — low heat
- Two dots — medium heat
- Three dots — high heat
- Crossed out — do not tumble dry
- Square with lines — line dry or flat dry
Ironing Symbols
- One dot — low heat (synthetics, silk)
- Two dots — medium heat (wool, polyester blends)
- Three dots — high heat (cotton, linen)
- Crossed-out iron — do not iron
Bleaching and Dry Cleaning
- Triangle — bleach OK
- Triangle with lines — non-chlorine bleach only
- Crossed triangle — do not bleach
- Circle — dry clean OK (letters inside indicate solvent type)
